Medicine West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine Lewisburg, West Virginia, United States
Clinical Scenario or Case: Following ACSM exercise prescription guidelines, a 1-month resistance training program of a 73-year-old female was implemented, consisting of 2 days/week at the Greenbrier Valley Fitness for various moderate intensity exercises.
Evidence/Literature Review: The state of West Virginia faces the highest adult obesity rate in America, with contributing factors including access to food, socioeconomic struggles, minimal physical activity, and lack of adequate nutrition (Amarasinghe et al., 2009). According to ACSM guidelines, the recommendation is 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity or 75 minutes of vigorous activity, along with 2-3 days per week of resistance training (American College of Sports Medicine, 2006). Maintaining bone mineral content within the geriatric population is crucial to preventing osteoporosis, especially in postmenopausal women; therefore, a muscle strengthening exercise prescription was implemented in conjunction with activity of swimming as aerobic exercise (Massini et al., 2022).
Unique Aspects of Case: Reviewed conditions of this patient include obesity, essential hypertension, prediabetes, hyperlipidemia, sleep apnea, and low bone density (T -1.5 worst Z -1.66). The patient had a body mass index (BMI) > 42.6 kg/m2. Symptoms were monitored throughout exercise sessions and controls were measured appropriately.
Recommendations/Conclusions: Motivation remained consistent at a high level throughout the duration of the month-long exercises; however, the frequency of exercise days/week increased from her baseline of 1-2 days/week to 3-4 days/week post program implementation, equating to a new total of 240 minutes/week. Findings reported by the patient post-exercise prescription showed an increase in both mood and energy, as well as less exacerbation of arthritic flare-ups upon waking and an overall better quality of sleep. In conclusion, the impact of moderate resistance training has potential to be an effective adjunctive treatment in reducing symptoms of illnesses related to obesity.
